In the soon-to-be published Britannica Book of the Year, there are several diverse images that illustrate that an end of an era has occurred or that some long-established tradition has ceased. A few of those images are highlighted here. Read the rest of this entry »

Since 1938 Britannica’s annual Book of the Year has offered in-depth coverage of the events of the previous year. While the book won’t appear in print for several months, some of its outstanding content is already available online. This piece on apocalyptic movements by José Pedro Zúquete, a researcher at the Social Sciences Institute, Lisbon, Portugal, will bring you up to speed on the history of "revelations," from religion to pop culture. Read the rest of this entry »

Three hundred and fifty-four years ago, an Anglo-Irish prelate named James Ussher revealed a chronology that set the origins of the universe on a precise date in 4004 BC. Strangely, imprecision has followed the announcement ever since‚ but for 200 years and more Archbishop Ussher's chronology was broadly accepted as the correct one. Read the rest of this entry »

For westerners, Timbuktu has long been a place of fictional convenience, where characters in novels have talked of going, wishing to escape their drab or criminal lives. But the city on the southern edge of the Sahara is a real place, and the recent assault by Tuareg rebels and Islamic militants has placed its heritage in danger. Read the rest of this entry »

George R.R. Martin's vividly imagined world synthesizes and embroiders upon history and mythology from around the globe. In an attempt to illuminate some of Martin's inspirations for viewers of the HBO series based on his books, I've assembled a Game of Thrones primer using Britannica articles. Follow the links and turn your flights of fancy into an educational opportunity. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s said everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, the feast day of Ireland’s patron saint. But I wonder how many know that March 17th is not the only day in Ireland that honors St. Patrick. Read the rest of this entry »

Irish women’s history seems to get short shrift. No cities paint the town or dye the local river green on St. Brigid’s Day; day tours of Dublin regularly boast the exploits and achievements of the Irish capital’s famous sons while largely ignoring the accomplishments of its daughters; and the increasing number of Irish films of a historical bent likewise focus mostly on the male players and points of view of Ireland’s long history. To balance things out a bit, here are a few paragraphs on notable women in Irish history, beginning with the woman of the month herself, St. Brigid of Kildare. Read the rest of this entry »

This past fall I went for a very long walk in Spain. How long? Well, I started out on September 22nd, in a small town in the French Pyrenees called Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, and got to my destination, the city of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain, on October 27th. Read the rest of this entry »